


Catch-a-break

by Evil_Fork



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Kidnapping, M/M, Mind Control, Obsessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-19 01:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Fork/pseuds/Evil_Fork
Summary: Rhys can't seem to catch a break. Once again, a ghost from the past comes back to haunt him.Set after Borderlands 3, canon-divergence.
Relationships: Katagawa Jr./Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	Catch-a-break

Rhys couldn't catch his breath. It was endless, the amount of corners he had turned, hoping that he would not be led to yet another dead end. The walls around him seemed to warp, the maze growing more and more suffocating with every step he took. If only he could just find the damned exit!

He had already tried to use his ECHO eye to scan his surroundings, but the bastards who kidnapped him must have done something to him while he was out because everything was fried. There was only static and a godawful buzzing sound so he figured he was better off keeping it shut off. The noise would only distract him, anyway.

So here he was, sprinting down another hallway that looked just like every other hallway he'd come across. The same bland metal floors and reinforced steel walls that continued on forever, it seemed. His surroundings lacked any real kind of design or color, which meant he was definitely located somewhere people weren't meant to see.

He knew exactly what that meant.

He'd realized that he was on some kind of detention level the moment he broke out of his - weirdly - comfortable holding cell. Rhys hadn't even been handcuffed or anything! It made breaking out a piece of cake, but it also put him on edge. It had been too easy. He was painfully aware of the fact that whenever things went well for him, it was either a trap or a prelude to something worse. Most of the time, it was both of those things.

He jumped and stumbled as a speaker crackled alive from above him. "Rhys! I'm so glad to see that you're awake! How's the eye, buddy?" 

Rhys screamed internally at the familiar voice. What was with corporate assholes finding ways to come back from the dead?

"Katagawa!" He seethed. "How the _hell_ are you still alive? The Vault Hunter killed you - I SAW you explode into... a giant electrical stream of lights!"

His disbelief was met with a short laugh.

"Well, since you can still formulate sentences I'm going to assume the procedure was a success. Nice to see something finally go according to plan with you," Katagawa said.

Rhys loathed how his tone oozed of smugness. He could imagine him in some fancy office, staring into an abnormally large computer monitor and giggling at Rhys's terrible sense of direction every time he took a wrong turn. How long had he been watching him anyway? From the very beginning? He felt like such an idiot. Of course it wouldn't have been that easy to escape. Farewell, his (nonexistent) plan for a badass getaway. 

"Just answer the question!" He demanded, then paused for a moment. Katagawa's words slowly sunk in. "Wait. I have a better question for you... What do you mean " _procedure_ "?" 

The mystery behind Katagawa's reappearance could wait.

"Oh, right! Let's just say that it's a gift. Not that you deserve one after what you did to me, but hey, I'm willing to look past that! If we both put a little effort in, we can finally work to become one big, happy family!" Katagawa assured him.

Rhys could only feel uncomfortable with how enthusiastic the other man sounded. After all that had happened, the psycho still thought there was a chance for a merge? He'd underestimated how far Katagawa was willing to go before to reach his goals, so who knows what he was planning this time. He was also well aware of how the creep had avoided his question yet again. 

He clenched his fist tight, glad that at least his cybernetic arm was still functioning normally. Maybe if he pretended to play along for a second, he could get a straight answer. God, he was going to regret this. He already did, and he hadn't even started yet.

"... Katagawa. I'm sorry. For... destroying your pleasure yacht. And uh, ignoring all your calls and emails," Rhys struggled, but he couldn't stop now. That didn't stop him from hating it any less, though. "But my - my man, how can I truly appreciate this... wondrous gift, that you've so graciously bestowed upon me, without knowing what it is?"

 _Just end it now_ , he thought. He had no dignity left after that, if he even had any to begin with. 

There was a long silence on the other end, as if Katagawa hadn't actually expected him to apologize. He felt a small pang of victory at that. To think that his bullshit apology could really stun his arch enemy into silence was... nice, for once. 

Sadly, it didn't last.

"Rhys, buddy, I... I appreciate that," Katagawa took a shuddering breath before composing himself. "Apology accepted. I knew you would come around eventually. You just needed more time. As for your gift... well, I think it would be better if I just _showed you_ what it does!"

Rhys had sacrificed his dignity for nothing. He wanted to roll over and cry, a lot. Despite that, he managed to summon some semblance of a response.

"Uh. Right. It's just, I don't really like surprises, 'ya know?" Rhys muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. 

Katagawa laughed. "Oh Rhy-ys, buddy, you won't be surprised for very long. You've had plenty of practice. It's all about muscle memory now!"

Rhys blinked up at the camera, confusion written over his face. "What... are you talking about - " 

He heard the distinct click of a button through the speaker and all of a sudden, it felt like he'd been splashed with a bucket of cold water. His body suddenly froze, leaving him standing still, motionless. As if he were - were -

"Come up to the sixty ninth floor ASAP, buddy, you're running late for an important meeting," Rhys didn't need to see it to sense the smirk Katagawa was no doubt sporting in that moment. "Trust me, Rhys. You don't want to miss it."

His left leg lifted by itself, taking a step forward. Then, his opposite repeated the same motion until they were both walking in unison. All the while, Rhys fought hard against the foreign control, distantly realizing that at some point, his ECHO eye had switched on by itself.

He no longer had control over his arms or legs. He'd been compromised. His eyes glanced around frantically, he tried to open his mouth to call for help, but nothing came out. He felt... like a passenger inside his own body. 

Something triggered in his brain and buried memories came crashing back down to him. The alarming feeling of fingers around his neck, a phantom pain, squeezing, a force he couldn't stop - why couldn't he _stop_ it! Nothing was working, he couldn't break free, suddenly there was a voice - _this is what commitment looks like, you little -_

Rhys blinked, suddenly finding himself in front of an elevator. The light of his ECHO eye flickered once, twice, and then the doors were opening. It was empty. As if anyone would have helped him anyway, he thought, feeling far away. Mechanically, his body stepped inside, moving to stand in the middle of the elevator. Rhys's flesh arm reached up to click the floor button and then, it was moving up. 

All he could do was watch helplessly as the floor numbers passed by. As he got closer and closer to... Katagawa. 

Why did these things keep happening to him? Was he just a walking, talking, psychopath magnet or something? Rhys could handle regular corporate assholes, that was easy. What he hadn't counted on was insane corporate assholes. Like Katagawa. He'd thought - no, he'd hoped - that line ended with Jack. But, he was wrong. Now, he had to find a shovel and dig himself out of the mess he'd found himself in this time.

If only he had a way to contact Zer0. Come to think of it, he couldn't figure out how Maliwan managed to capture him in the first place. Rhys remembered where he'd been before - in his bed, sleeping. So how did he wake up here? Unless there had been a security breach, but anyone getting past Zer0 was unthinkable. No one could get past Zer0, it was basically impossible. Still, the thought nagged at him. He forced himself to stop thinking about it.

Instead, he shifted his eyes back up to check the floor number just in time to see the counter land on the designated floor. The doors slid open and his body was on the move once again, with no hesitation.

Rhys couldn't turn his head to look around so he focused on what he could see of his surroundings from his direct field of view. He focused on the tacky Maliwan colors in each corridor and committed to memory every door that he passed. If he couldn't use his ECHO eye to help create a map, he would just do it manually. Y'know, adapt, survive, overcome.

When he came to a sudden stop in front of a shiny and expensive-looking door he automatically assumed it was Katagawa's office. (Rhys thought all Maliwan executives probably shared the same taste in crappy decor, but that was besides the point.) His eye did that weird flickering thing again and the door opened with a hum. If he'd been capable of making an expression, he would have put on his stern CEO face. Instead, he settled with glaring holes through the back of Katagawa's chair.

Upon hearing the telltale footsteps of Rhys's arrival, Katagawa swiveled around in his fancy chair, spreading his arms wide in greeting. "Rhys! I'm so glad you could make it, buddy. I hope you didn't have any trouble finding your way up," he said, innocently. 

_God, I hate you. So, so much._

On the outside, Rhys stood motionless, but his eyes blazed with hellfire.

"You're stubborn, Rhys," Katagawa remarked, nonchalantly rising from his seat. He stalked closer, stopping about a foot in front of Rhys. "Do you know how difficult it was for my men to reprogram your ECHO eye? You set up some impressive defenses, buddy! But eventually, we found a way through."

Rhys directed his gaze to settle on an odd statue in the corner of the room. He already knew that Maliwan had hacked into his systems, that became glaringly obvious once he lost control of his limbs. He didn't need stupid Katagawa reminding him of it.

Katagawa suddenly snapped, fingers inches from his face. Rhys stared at the hand in bewilderment, then over to Katagawa's face. The weirdo was actually... pouting. It was disturbing. 

"None of that, Rhys! I'm just getting to the good part," Katagawa whined. "Trust me, you'll want to hear this! It's about your new gift."

 _Gift?!_ He wanted to shout. _You're insane!_

Katagawa placed his hands behind his back and slowly began circling around Rhys's still form. An intimidation tactic, Rhys guessed. It wouldn't work, he told himself. 

Yet, he wanted to jump out of his skin the moment Katagawa placed a gloved hand on his shoulder from behind. He had a backstabbing psycho literally at his back, how could he not be afraid? Rhys only hoped that he didn't have a knife hidden up his sleeve.

Even if he could move, Katagawa was trained with swords and he... had no experience with weapons at all, except for his trusty stun baton. He owned a gun, but he'd never actually used it. In hand to hand combat, he would get demolished.

All of a sudden, he felt warm breathing fan across his ear. He cringed, inwardly. When did Katagawa lean in so close? Of course he would have no respect for personal boundaries. Why would he? Fuck. He hated everything about this. 

"Your hair smells amazing, Rhys. You'll have to tell me what kind of shampoo you use later," Katagawa whispered, pressing closer against his back. He stayed like that for a long moment, before sighing and stepping back.

"Heh, I'm getting off track. Now," He shoved Rhys and he almost tripped over his feet. "Sit down. It's about time we put that gift of yours to good use, eh buddy?"

Rhys found himself moving over to Katagawa's chair, obediently taking a seat. Katagawa waltzed on over, deciding to stand beside him this time - thank God. He could really do without the hand on shoulder thing again, though. His own hands sat unmoving in his lap.

"After your defenses were completely broken down, we installed an exclusive Maliwan program into your ECHO eye. Pretty cool, right?" Katagawa grinned, motioning excitedly to Rhys's glowing eye. "But I didn't want control over just your cybernetics, so I proposed an idea. What if we took it a step further and installed the program directly into your brain? The procedure was risky, but I knew you would pull through!"

Suddenly, Rhys thought he was going to be sick. 

"I was right, as always. You took it like a champ, Rhys," he complimented. He patted his shoulder in a creepy show of camaraderie. Rhys wanted to grab the hand and tear it off. "Now, you are probably wondering why you're here. I'm sure you already know that by now, but go ahead. Take a look at my desk, buddy."

Rhys's eyes roamed over the desk, immediately fixating on the acquisition papers spread out in front of him. There was a single, black pen placed to the side. His eyes widened. He'd had a feeling, deep down, that Katagawa's ploy was all leading back to this. Even though he'd known that from the beginning, it didn't stop his eyes from watering up. The longer he stared at the neatly stacked paperwork, the more his thoughts began to run wild. Yet again, he was going to lose everything. Why must his ghosts always come back to haunt him? What higher being had he pissed off in a past life?

The hand on his shoulder tightened as Katagawa leaned over to peer at his face. Tears had begun to roll down his face, small droplets staining his cheeks. Rhys was usually better at containing his emotions, but now that the waterworks had started, he couldn't seem to switch them off. He couldn't even lift his arms to wipe them away. Katagawa was the last person he wanted seeing him cry like this, especially when he was the cause for it.

"I know this is hard for you, Rhys. But it's for the best, you'll see," Katagawa insisted, tone comforting. "Once the acquisition papers are signed and the merger is complete, you won't have to worry about anything anymore. I'll make sure of that."

 _Let me guess, by killing me afterwards?_ He thought, hopelessly.

Katagawa wiped off a stray tear, his finger lingering uncomfortably on Rhys's cheek before pulling away. "I think it's about time we finally got this over with. It'll be quick, like ripping off a bandaid! Go on, sign those acquisition papers, buddy."

It wasn't like ripping off a bandaid. 

As his hand reached for the pen, Rhys wished that at least his arm would be shaking in opposition - proof that he was trying his damndest to fight back against what was happening - but he wasn't even granted that much. Instead, his arm slid across the desk smoothly and seized the offending object between his fingers.

 _No, no, no! Knock yourself out or something! C'mon! Anything!_ He pleaded, willing his mind to turn itself off. Why couldn't he have the ability to force himself unconscious at will?! Godamnit!

When the pen touched the first page and ink began to seal his fate against his will, Rhys felt something inside of him shatter. He squeezed his eyes shut, retreating into the back of his mind to grieve for his company, life, and livelihood. It was funny (not really), how everything he'd worked so hard for could be taken away with just a line of ink here and there. He clung desperately to the knowledge that he'd started from scratch before, and that he could do it again if he had to. If he lived after this, that is... 

Rhys noticed that the pen in his hand had gone slack. He opened his eyes to see Katagawa scooping up the paperwork like a prized possession, hugging it to his chest tightly. The creep caught his eye and smirked.

"Welcome to the family, Rhys. Maliwan will take good care of you," he promised. "Now. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

His lips parted on command.

"You... " Rhys took a deep breath, trying to formulate a response after spending so much time alone with his thoughts. "You psychopathic maniac! Y-you altered my brain! What the hell is _wrong_ with you?! You're crazy if you think you're getting away with this!"

Katagawa laughed. "Uh, Rhys, buddy? If these papers are anything to go by, I already have. As of today, all of Atlas has been officially absorbed by Maliwan."

"So now that you've finally got what you wanted, you're going to... what? Kill me? Is that about right?" He guessed. "Because I'm just a loose end now, aren't I? Someone you have to get rid of. I'm not that gullible. I know how these corporate takeovers go, Katagawa."

Katagawa waved a hand at him dismissively. "If this is about what happened with my siblings, then let me tell you something. They weren't family, Rhys. Not really. They were rivals. This is different. _You're_ different."

Rhys narrowed his eyes. "... Right. You're crazy. Thanks for the reminder. Now, if you're going to kill me then just do it already. I'm tired of these stupid games!"

He hated how Katagawa was looking at him in that moment - as if he were some kind of an idiot.

"Rhys... It seems actions speak louder to you than words. But, I can work with that. I don't mind a challenge," Katagawa admitted.

His eyes scanned Rhys up and down one last time before he turned and strolled towards the exit. "I'm off to deliver these papers. In the meantime, feel free to wait in our room. I'll catch up later. You and I have celebrating to do, remember? Oh and, no skipping out on me. That would be awfully rude, Rhys." 

"As if I could!" Rhys snarled.

Before he stepped out through the doorway, Katagawa glanced back and waved. "See ya then, buddy!"

And then, he was gone. It wasn't long before Rhys was forced to move, as well.

He had no choice.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in years, so hopefully it turned out okay. I'm debating whether or not to continue, but I'll leave it marked as complete for now.


End file.
